Photo: Public domain · Public domainFEMA puts Lisbon’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 70% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lisbon gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns, #69 of 143 in Maine. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (61%), then hurricanes (22%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1987.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What Lisbon faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Hurricanes
Ice storms
Earthquakes
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
What’s behind Lisbon’s grade
River and rain flooding is 61% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lisbon, and Lisbon’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 70% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 8%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #69 of 143 in Maine; lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Lisbon’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Maine town has lower expected damage than 70% of U.S. towns; within the state, Lisbon has less expected damage per building than 52% of Maine towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.7M a year in losses across Lisbon: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lisbon flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1987
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lisbon, from FEMA’s records: 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 77% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Lisbon isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Androscoggin County.12 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lisbon
Disasters that paid out in Lisbon itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Lisbon), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Storm and Flooding22 households applied for aid$23K aid approved$145K to the Town of Lisbon for repairs
- 2015Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$21K to the Town of Lisbon for repairs
- 2013Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$24K to the Town of Lisbon for repairs
- 2008Severe Winter Storm and Flooding$21K to the Town of Lisbon for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding$8K to the Town of Lisbon for repairs
- 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow Melt, and Ice Jams$10K to the Town of Lisbon for repairs
Show all 12
- 2005Record Snow$17K to the Town of Lisbon for repairs
- 2005Snow$10K to the Town of Lisbon for repairs
- 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$15K to the Town of Lisbon for repairs
- 2003Snow$8K to the Town of Lisbon for repairs
- 2002Severe Winter Cold and Frost$13K to the Town of Lisbon for repairs
- 2001Snow$18K to the Town of Lisbon for repairs
Androscoggin County has had 28 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Lisbon after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lisbon archive →Lisbon and its neighbors
Lisbon is 5th of the 6 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lewiston | A−less damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 23 |
| Durham | A−less damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Sabattus | A−less damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Topsham | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Lisbon | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Bowdoin | Bless damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Lisbon Falls | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Lisbon faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- Ice brings down trees and lines: plan for days without power.
- Run a generator outside, far from doors and windows.
- Keep sand or salt by the door.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Lisbon
Is Lisbon at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lisbon has lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #69 of 143 in Maine. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (61%) and hurricanes (22%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Lisbon flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Lisbon since 1987, $121K in all, or 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 77% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Lisbon in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Androscoggin County, 35% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Lisbon?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lisbon’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Lisbon?
By FEMA money that reached Lisbon, Severe Storm and Flooding (2023): 22 households applied for aid, $23K approved, and $145K to the Town of Lisbon for repairs.
Is Lisbon at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (61%), and Lisbon’s rate for it is lower than 70% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lisbon.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lisbon’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.